Won’t Accept Differential Security Standards, Obligations Not Met: Jaishankar

Union external affairs minister S Jaishankar said on Friday that India will not accept differential standards of security while taking a strong view of pro-Khalistan supporters pulling down the Indian tricolour at the Indian High Commission in the United Kingdom last week.

The external affairs minister also accused the UK of failing to meet the obligation of providing security to the diplomats of the Mission. He said it is expected of a country to do since a high commission or a consulate is located there.

“On the flag and the security of the high commission, in this particular case in the UK – whenever any country sends an embassy anywhere abroad, it is the obligation of the receiving country to provide security for a diplomat to do his work,” Jaishankar was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

“It is the obligation of the receiving country to ensure the embassy or the high commission or the consulate and their premises are respected. These obligations were not met,” Jaishankar further added. He was speaking at an event hosted by the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha president and Lok Sabha MP Tejasvi Surya.

When Jaishankar was asked about the safety of diplomats and the Indian community in the UK, he responded that the security at the high commission was inadequate on the day the vandals attacked.

Elaborating further on the issue of security, Jaishankar said that some countries are not taking it seriously enough, with varying standards for their own security and that of others. However, as a foreign minister, he emphasised that such differential standards will not be accepted.

Commenting on Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on human rights in India during his UK visit, Jaishankar said that there are many who held Indian passports and are deeply attached to the country while pointing out that there are some who pretend to be victims of persecution at home in a bid to obtain a visa or residency status.

“It’s actually a visa game, which they are playing in the name of politics, human rights or whatever it is,” the minister said, while adding that nobody is arguing against freedom of speech and civil liberties but these should not be misused to “ espouse radicalism, violence, terrorism”.